Burdette Earns Starting Nod At Corner

When asked about his confidence in regard to different
positions, head coach Hugh Freeze said the area that concerns him the most is
the secondary.

Both cornerback positions were listed with co-starters
-- junior Senquez Golson and sophomore Quintavius Burdette at Field corner, and
seniors Dehendret Collins and Charles Sawyer at Boundary corner. With both
Golson (hamstring) and Sawyer (shoulder) returning from injury, cornerbacks
coach Jason Jones feels confident about those four players at the position.

"Starting out at fall camp, we didn't have a lot of
depth at the position, but we got some guys back the last couple of weeks, and
those guys are now practicing and executing the game plan," Jones said.

"I have four guys that are experienced and mature
and can help us. I want to keep all of them fresh. It's supposed to hot on
Thursday night. And at times, Vanderbilt can tempo you. The more depth you
have, the more guys you can play, and so the fresher they will be."

Burdette, who ran with the first-team defense for most
of fall camp, earned the start at Field corner, Freeze said Monday.

"It makes me feel great," Burdette said of
getting the start. "It makes me feel like I have to go out there and prove
myself even more now."

"He improved his game a lot," Sawyer said of
Burdette. "He's making plays on the ball. He's getting the calls. He's
understanding the defense. He's just making plays."

A converted safety, Burdette said he feels more
comfortable with the defense. He also said he has learned a lot from facing
junior wide receiver Donte Moncrief every day in practice, whether it was he or
Moncrief making a play.

"After a play, we would go back and talk about it
and see what he was thinking during the play, or if I wasn't doing something
right, he would tell me," he said. "It taught me to be more patient
as a defensive back, and how to make plays against a wide receiver of his size
and quality."

On the injury front, Freeze and staff are confident
about the status of senior cornerback Charles Sawyer (shoulder) and junior
Senquez Golson (hamstring). Sawyer is prepared to play both cornerback
positions, Freeze said, while Golson will come in at Field corner, and then
they will see how the game goes.

"Charles, he's been going now for at least a couple
of weeks," Jones said. "We may practice non-contact to try and take
care of each. He's out there laying out for balls and banging around with Donte
and things like that. I'm not concerned about him at all.

"Senquez, even though he was injured, he was still
getting conditioning in with Coach Jackson on the side. His conditioning
shouldn't be a big problem. Both of those guys should be good to go for
Thursday."

At the safety position, sophomores Trae Elston and Chief
Brown were listed as co-starters at Rover safety, with junior Cody Prewitt at
free safety. Defensive coordinator Dave Wommack said he thinks of all three as
starters who will all play about the same number of snaps.

"It's a battle between all three of them,"
Wommack said. "I have called them all starters to them in person. Chief
has the ability to play both sides. Hopefully, between the three of them, we
can keep them fresher than they were last year."

Crowded Backfield

Ole Miss has six players vying for playing time at the
running back, including three freshmen in Mark Dodson, Kailo Moore and Jordan
Wilkins. Running backs coach Derrick Nix feels great about the overall depth of
the position.

"We feel like we have choices at the position,
which is always good," Nix said. "If something happens to Jeff
(Scott), we have guys who are capable of going in and bringing some of the same
skill set that he brings to the table. But most importantly, we have guys with
more experience than last year.

Nix said they haven't finalized it all the way which
running backs will travel to Nashville, and that guys are still competing every
day.

What is probably set in stone, Nix said, is Scott, the
team's leading rusher last season, then sophomore running back Jaylen Walton.
After that, he said, there is a question mark about what they are going to do.

Sophomore I'Tavius Mathers, who was listed as co-backup
with Walton behind Scott, has returned to practice since suffering an ankle
sprain, but his status for Thursday remains uncertain.

"He did well in practice yesterday," Nix said.
"We're going to evaluate him more today to see what he looks like. As the
week goes on, we'll see how he progresses and then determine if he will play or
not on Thursday."

That question mark also includes potential
redshirts, which Freeze said they're considering for sure, adding that there's
no way they can say at a position like running back exactly what will happen,
such as injuries.

It's great to be a Rebel fan. Coach Freeze
Has brought back the excitement
Competitiveness we all so desire. The
fan base and even our doubters are
Paying attention. Even the whole country
Sport tLk shows ect. Are taking notice.
After we upset Alabama this weekend
38-27 we will bolt to a top 12 or better
Ranking. Go Rebels

I am not and never have been an Ole Miss fan. I am however a Coach Freeze fan. I like what he represents in today's world of big time sports and what he stands for in leading young men of today into a more responsible role. He is everything that Ole Miss has never had. I am on his band wagon winning or losing.